Home Sweet Harrisonburg

This past weekend I got to spend another glorious few days in Harrisonburg and see some people I haven't seen in quite a while. The weekend started with homemade Mac & Cheese and some much needed catching up with Rachel while we waited for Shawn to get home. It felt like old times minus the work drama and the fact that I wasn't in my PJs and Ron wasn't running around bothering Avery.

I eventually made it to Harrisonburg to meet up with some people at Ham's. At this point I was not only full (Thanks, Rachel!) but also waning on straight-up grumpy as my day (thanks to work and driving) was nothing short of exhausting. I can only be sorry for being in such a bad mood but hope Ashley, Jess and Connor didn't expect too much from me to begin with. I managed to eat half of a cookie skillet and sip a Blue Moon only to go home and pass out promptly on Jess's floor.

Saturday we made a game plan (pun intended) to tailgate at 10am with a kickoff time at 3:30. Five solid hours of beer and burgers complete with cornhole a couple of trips to visit other people in the area. My attitude went downhill quickly when I realized I wasn't feeling any of the alcohol and was full on junk food. We made it to the game and I anxiously watched the first two quarters before meeting up with Jill and my FAVORITE little sister and Mike.

Surprisingly enough, I decided to actually get concessions food and opted for a soft pretzel and hot chocolate. To my surprise, the cashier had NO idea what she was doing (I knew that place would fall apart without me). Resisting the urge to reach over and do it myself, I walked her through the transaction (flawlessly, I might add) and got her through Molly's too. She was more the grateful but I made sure to tell my old boss, Mike, that the new people weren't hacking it.

After an exhausting day and a failed dinner outing due to every place having a 45 minute wait, we went back Jess's and ordered pizza and cookies. We managed to entertain ourselves for a few hours thanks to Doug playing puppet with Kate's shoes including British commentary by Connor. Breakfast with Keitha and Leslie and a impromptu stop at Rachel's to see her new pup dog made my weekend complete.

The first time I went back to Harrisonburg a few weeks ago, it didn't feel any different. I was hanging out with the same people and doing what I would be doing if I was still going to school there. The only difference was I actually got to watch the football game instead of working it. Even that was only half-enjoyed as I was running around visiting people and trying to make sure I saw EVERYONE.  Naturally, I was sad to leave and return Sunday knowing I had to go to work the next morning.

This time felt a little different. I guess now that I'm more settled into Charlotte, I actually felt like an alumni this time; like my home really wasn't in Harrisonburg any more and I was just visiting. I found myself judging the freshman and their hipster attitudes and watching and analyzing the game instead of just trying to see who else was there. It was definitely a different feeling and this time, I wasn't as sad to leave. I'm still going to miss the people but my longing for Harrisonburg is slowly turning into a need that can be satisfied with a few days and some awesome people. Nonetheless, it's still in my top two favorite places in the world; only second behind Vegas but who can really compete with that?

Counting down the days till Homecoming! Ikea, Scarowinds and a stand-up comedy act with Mike and Whitney should get me through the next weekend until I can make it back to VA for my FIRST Homecoming as a JMU Alum.

Food Trucks and Tequila

In kindergarten I met this girl I couldn't stand. The story of how we met depends on which of us you're talking to and to this day I can't really be sure which one of us is right. Regardless, we officially became friends in 3rd grade when I didn't want to sit next to this other girl at lunch. We stayed close through college and once I got settled, I convinced her to come visit me down here. I use the term "convinced" lightly mainly because I didn't have to beg her to leave Fredericksburg for the weekend. We both have a mutual love/hate relationship with that place.

We started off the weekend with a Food Truck rally in Southend. I have a few coworkers that live down there and it's probably one of my favorite areas of Charlotte so far. The food truck rally is pretty much a gathering of random food trucks from different parts of the city in a gravel parking lot. They make a giant circle and you walk around and buy food from their trucks. They usually relocate during the week and drive around catering (intentional play on words) to the businesses uptown, but every Friday night they can be found at this parking lot.

The food ranges from turkey sandwiches, Mexican fusion and various cup cake trucks. For the most part it is BYOB. There are a few picnic tables in the middle but most people gather in the field behind the trucks to eat on blankets and fold-out chairs. Alex and I and one of my coworkers settled on The Queso Truck which was sporting a giant cheese-themed mustache on the top. I got a sandwich called "The Big Cheesey" which was pretty much a giant grilled cheese and Alex got a BBQ sandwich that was topped with Mac and Cheese. Moustache truck for the win!

Moustache on top of the Queso Truck.

Saturday morning consisted of my couch getting delivered (yay!) and a few hours at the pool which is crazy considering it's only in the high forties today. After a quick power nap and a nothing-short-of-stressful wardrobe change, we headed downtown to meet up with some coworkers. One of them was turning 30 this weekend and we all went out to celebrate and pretend we didn't have to act completely professional again on Monday.

A few bars and shots of tequila later, we were in route to head back home. To say I didn't do anything Sunday is not a general statement of just not being productive. After breakfast at Ihop and going back down to the city to pick up my car, I literally did not move the rest of the day. By dinner time I was able to get up and meet Mike and Whitney to do so much needed catching up with them. I'm still not quite sure how Alex was able to make the 5-hour trek back to Fredericksburg when the 20-minute drive to Mooresville about killed me, but she made it safely with plans to return for my birthday. 

In keeping up with exploring my new life, it's always nice to integrate the old with the new. Two weekends in row with people visiting from VA plus reuniting with people I'd never thought I'd see again have been a nice little detour from the regular routine I've settled into. If the stars align correctly, I'm headed to JMU this weekend for some much needed time in my other favorite city and take a break from Charlotte before we see Amy Schumer and I maybe go to (fingers crossed) Scarowinds the weekend after!! Here's to hopin.

Quality Family Time

Being away from my family sucks but so far, they’ve all tried really hard to make it easier. My sister came to visit before the beach, my older sister and parents send pics of my nieces and nephew and I try to talk to my grandma at least once a week. Though it was hard to find a weekend that worked for all of us, I was more than grateful that my dad, step-mom and grandma could work a weekend in Charlotte into their busy schedules.

It was weird to show them around my new "home." It's equally as weird to call a place home when it’s that far away from the people that mean the most to me. But regardless, I've fallen in love with Charlotte almost as quickly as I fell in love with Harrisonburg and was glad they were able to see the city I keep talking about.

I took them down and drove them through the actual city, being sure to stay on the roads I was familiar with to give the allusion that I knew where I was going. My grandmother was impressed that I’ve learned my way around so quickly and while I definitely know it better than an outsider, there’s still a long way to go.

We spent most of Saturday with a planned outing to Ikea and they surprised me by showing up to my apartment with Bo-berry biscuits from Bojangles. (Seriously the best breakfast I've and probably ever will have). We trekked through the Ikea showroom where I somehow convinced my grandmother to buy me a couch, a coffee table and end table for my otherwise empty living room. Maybe now I can actually invite people over to my house. I didn't figure out until about 10:00 Sunday night that I had picked up the wrong cover for my couch and have to make another trip back to warehouse to get the right one.

We all agreed on an afternoon nap followed by dinner at 131 Main. I wanted to take them somewhere they couldn't eat at home. Not only was this place suggested to me by one of my friends but also way too expensive for me to ever consider going on my own. (Good thing they were picking up the tab.) We ended the evening with a rousing game of Apples to Apples and while my initial plan was to go meet up with some friends afterwards, I was secretly grateful when they called and cancelled.

Sunday morning they snuck me into their hotel for continental breakfast and to my surprise, my dad did not protest. He’s usually against anything that breaks the rules but I guess the risk was too small to put up a fight. 

I promptly went home and went back to bed upon their departure only getting up to meet some friends and watch the Panther’s game and a later trip to the doggie park. I expect my Sunday’s will look pretty much the same until after the Super Bowl.

For the rest of year, I have random weekends filled with visiting friends and family members and could not by happier. My evil master plan is to slowly convince ALL of them to move down here so I can have all my favorite people in my new favorite city. A girl can dream. 

Randomly Reuniting

My first time on JMU's campus was when I went in June for Orientation. We were separated into small groups by major and went to various computer labs to register for classes. I met a girl named Jenna, we exchanged numbers, became Facebook friends and that was the end of that except for random sightings in Harrison Hall. We really didn't see each other that much until one random class during Senior year that I took for my major (her minor.) We ended up grouped together on a project and worked together for the whole semester.

And once again, it just ended there. I checked her Facebook periodically to keep up with her racing career (she drives race cars), but I found out she had relocated to Charlotte during  a Thursday night Panther’s game. We met up for drinks last week in South End to catch up and in keeping in trend with my recent vow to try new things, we picked a little hole-in-the-wall market hidden down an alleyway.

The place is called Common Market and is a beer market-gift shop-deli combination with an eclectic collection of beer. I had to search to find anything resembling Bud Light or Blue Moon but opted for a wheat beer with an owl on the label. We went up to pay and I asked the bartender if I could keep my bottle cap. He asked if I wanted some more and I agreed thinking he would throw a few more into my hand. To my surprise, he reached down and emptied the ENTIRE  box of bottle caps into a grocery bag. I now have a target back full of bottle caps and more than a few ideas of what to do with them.

We sat outside on the patio and watched what slowly turned into an open mic night of sorts. It started with a few guys but they kept recycling musicians and bringing in new people. Eventually it turned into people hopping up and playing a song or two, both covers and originals, and then various people then joining them by playing the bass or the drums or whatever else seemed to fit. It was an impromptu concert coupled with an unexpected reunion.

Jenna just accepted a job with Nascar and will be based in Uptown starting two weeks from now. She’ll be in the area for a while and we’ve planned a few trips back to Harrisonburg in addition to a few random events in Charlotte. The way we met was weird and even weirder that we reunited because of a random Facebook post. It’s still one more person to add to my Charlotte network and one that shares my love for Purple & Gold.  

It's All in the Cards

I don’t really buy into palm readings, tarot cards or psychic powers but I’m not about to turn down a learning experience. One of my coworkers is a psychic. She says she has an intuition that lets her see and feel things when she reads tarot cards. She and her mom both have it. They are called “healers” so after the reading is done, they work with the client to work through the reading and decisions to plan out their next move.

So one Thursday at Brickhouse (our regular Thursday happy hour spot) my coworker agreed to do a reading for me. The client (me) is supposed to think of a question and it’s up to the psychic and the client to draw meaning from the cards to answer the question. So armed with my deep dark secret, she handed me the deck to shuffle and cut and she laid out my 10 cards (picture to come).

The first two cards represent my question and the one thing that opposes it, good or bad. The next two are my past and future and the two after that are my family and support systems and the foundation for wanting to ask the question. The final four are my answer, the support to the answer, my mood/feelings right now, and the outcome. When she was finished explaining what each individual card meant, she asked me to look at the cards and point out symbols or anything that stood out to me. She used my own “insights” to provide further clarification to some of the things that she had noticed.

All in all, it was an awesome experience and one I will more than likely repeat. For the most part, I feel like there is a little something to this tarot card concept. I know the idea is to be vague so the clients can draw their own meanings from the cards but there were a few things that related directly to my question that I’m not sure she could have known otherwise.

I don’t need to go into detail about the question, or the reading or the what the “outcome” might be but I’m not going to pick up and move to another country or look for a husband whose last name only starts with a “Q” (which apparently, others have done). If nothing else, it gave me a little insight on things that have very little importance in my life right now and gave me a new respect for the psychic world.

25 Things That Haven't Changed in 25 Years

Last week, I was able to get a few days off of work to the go the beach with my family. When I tell people about this vacation and our long running history with this particular island, they don't quite seem to "get" the impact this has had on our lives. This is the only family vacation I have ever known. My family has been going to this beach for roughly 28 years. Even the year we went to Disney World, we stopped at the beach for a week on the way back. This year was my 25th time visiting Sunset Beach, North Carolina and whilst my life and many other aspects have taken some dramatic changes, I take comfort in the fact that this little part hasn't changed much at all.

Here are 25 things that haven't changed much at all.

1. The trip down. It always rains and takes well over two-hours the time we could make it in. This year was a tad bit different since I left from Charlotte but it still rained and was yucky most of the day.
2. Unpacking the car/rearranging the whole house. We rent a house, always oceanfront, and when we get there, nothing is ever the way we want it. We move furniture, rearrange the kitchen cabinets and clean out the cars while my dad promptly plops his ass on the couch once everything is safely inside.
3. The grocery run. This may not seem like a big deal but all of the rental properties down there rent on a weekly basis from Saturday-Saturday so the initial grocery run when we get there is usually organized by what we can find to make for dinner and breakfast until we can come back the next day. And, since planning ahead is frowned upon on vacation, we strive (and I mean literally put effort) into going to the grocery store or the corner market every day.
4. First step in the ocean. It's a pretty monumental thing. When we were little, it used to be the first thing we would do: run to the beach, step in the ocean, run back home. We can usually hold out until the first day now, but it's still a pretty heart warming moment to be in the middle of something so huge and the feeling is the same every year I do it.
5. Sunscreen. The daily sunscreen application. This happens twice a day and is always a big event. The best part is you can blame the person who did your back if you get sunburned.
6. Outdoor showers. All of the beach houses have outdoor showers. I personally think all house everywhere should have them. It is socially acceptable at the beach to walk outside, up the stairs and sit on the deck post shower in the sun and not have to worry about being judged by your neighbors.
7. Bocce and paddle ball. Sadly, I didn't get to play this year before I left but these are two beach games that we have been playing since we were old enough to pick up the balls.
8. Drip castles. I'm sure everyone has done this at some point, but it's when you pick up a handful of wet sand and let it drip out and make cool "cave-esque" towers. The secret is to build a really sturdy foundation so when the tide starts coming it, it doesn't wipe out all of your work.
9. Calabash. Calabash is a little area right before you get to South Carolina. It's a giant gift shop with a bunch of crap that nobody needs but we make at least one stop there every year. We usually go once early in the week to scope out the merchandise then return later to actually buy things. I, personally, enjoy their selection as most of their nick-knacks match the color scheme in my apartment, but I would be happy with just buying the pound and a half of fudge we get every year.
10. Putt Putt. AKA the ultimate beach tourist attraction. We love putt putt and tend to venture to the same place every year as it's pretty close and fairly easy for all involved. This year was my nephew's first attempt at mini-golf. My sister and dad both play golf so their technique is impeccable but this year we were literally in awe when my grandma knocked in FOUR hole-in-ones. Despite her amazing performance on those four holes, she still managed to lose.
11. Calabash Creamery. This is a little home-grown ice cream store that was featured in Southern Living a few years back. The best part (other than the ice cream of course) is the GIANT rocking chairs outside. You know you're in "The South" when you eat homemade ice cream while rocking on the front porch.
12. Shrimp night. We manage to make shrimp and crab cakes at least one a trip and my dad takes tremendous pride in being the shrimp man. His job: boil some water, throw the shrimp in, season to liking. Usually his liking, not any of ours, which is why they're usually too spicy for the rest of us.
13. Coozies. A long LONG time ago, we used to have a solo cup stuck inside a coozie that was labeled with our name. Then we would rinse out and reuse the cups in a effort to save money. We don't do the cup thing any more but the coozies still manage to make it back to the beach every year and, now that we're old enough, keep the beers cold on the beach.
14. Some big television event. Whether it's one of the big golf tournaments, the Olympics, or the Republican National Convention, some huge televised event happens every year. It usually comes down to who has the most power as to what we're stuck watching, and up until this point, that person has never been me.
15. Yahtzee, Phase 10 and Poker.Nothing says "Family Vacation" like a bunch of board games. And, to make sure we don't forget anything, my grandma is in charge of maintaining the "Game Box" year round. It has all of our score cards, chips, pens, dice, whatever you may need for a rousing night of family fun. We play Yahtzee every day a lunch and I'm pretty sure that game alone is the sole reason me, my sisters and my cousins can do math.
16. Lunch time. Our daily routine includes a morning on the beach, lunch, an afternoon on the beach, and then some kind of nighttime activity. My lunch fluctuates between two meals: ham and swiss or peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes there's bananas involved and I might switch from strawberry to grape but it's one of those two. Then there is also always cheetos and crystal light. I don't eat cheetos year round and therefore usually go through about 3 bags at the beach. I also usually get yelled at because the Yahtzee dice are covered in cheeto dust, but that is the small price I'm willing to pay.
17. Weather Man in Residence. My dad missed his calling in life. If I had to pick his favorite channel, it would most certainly, without a doubt, be the weather channel. I know what you're thinking: "It doesn't do anything except show the weather." And you're absolutely right. But he loves it. And by loves it I mean he can leave it on for hours and spit back facts about the cold front coming in or the Hurricane going up the coast. We got him a weather machine a few years ago that sounds the alarm when bad weather is in the area and he usually runs to a door or window to get a glimpse of the first lightning.
18. Family tension. I don't say this as a bad thing. When you put 10 people in a house that have different schedules, needs and wants, its hard to find something to please everyone. My sisters and me, who generally get along really well, can always find something to fight about before the trip is over. It's just nature and I would call BS to any family that claims they don't get a little testy being that close to one another for an extended period of time.
19. At least one rainy day. Plain and simple. We loose at least one day, usually more, to bad weather. Fortunately there is shopping and board games to keep us busy. My favorite part is sitting on the deck and watching the storm roll out to sea and I usually want at least one storm so I can sit outside and watch.
20. Holden’s market. Two beaches up from us is Holden Beach and there is a little farmer's market there that has THE BEST cantaloupe, peaches, corn and Peach Salsa. It's worth the 15 minutes trip to go out there and get fruit for the week.
21. Ghost crabs. No beach vacation is complete without a late night walk on the beach looking for ghost crabs. These white little guys generally only come out and night and are used to people chasing after them with flashlights. They eventually run into their holes but their sideways crawl is quite comical.
22. Pelicators. Most definitely my favorite beach life. Pelicators, also known as pelicans, are by far the coolest birds. They walk, swim and fly, and are constantly nose diving into the water for fish. Even coolor is that they fly along the stops of the houses so that they can ride the drafts coming off of the peaks and don't have to do any work. Genius. Why do we call them that? Well, I'd have to double check, but I'm pretty sure it's what my older sister used to call them when she was little. For a very long time, I thought it was their real name.
23. Ode to Mom. I don't talk about my mom much, and while I miss her every day, both of these double at the beach. It was her favorite place and for two weeks a year, I got to see my mom relax, not be a nurse, not working nights and enjoying every minute of having other people watch her kids. We find a reason to bring her up whenever something reminds us of her. It's a sad thought but a good one because we know she's glad we still make it there every year.
24. Last day on the beach. This day usually consists of complaining about having to leave, discussion travel plans and eating everything possible from the fridge. We all say we don't want to leave but secretly, it's comforting to know we can settle back into a routine when we get home.
25. Planning for next year. Since this vacation is somewhat of a constant in our life, we spend a great deal of time at the beach planning for the next year at the beach. We start the trip by picking up reality books and driving down the street to look at potential houses for the next year. We're picky, mainly because the houses have to fit certain requirements that we have become accustomed to over the years. 

 The next house is booked, we're all home safely and so begins another 365-day countdown to the next chapter of The Chilton Family Adventures at Sunset Beach. I don't hesitate to call the little island my second home because nothing else (other than Fredericksburg) has been so constant in my life. Thankfully, as long as we continue to commit to this trip every year, the next generation of Chilton's will know the wonders of spending every summer there, too.

I'm (not) Lovin' It

My little sister decided to grace me with her presence a few days before we headed to the beach. It's her first time in Charlotte since my older sister went to school here, but I had to leave both days and we were getting up early to go to the beach. The game plan was to get there early so we could enjoy most of Saturday afternoon on the beach. While we succeeded in that mission, breakfast proved to be a little more difficult.

 All ready to roll at 6am

There's a McDonald's right outside of my apartment complex but we decided against it. 5:30am is way to early to consider eating deep fried potatoes and chugging sweet tea. We decided to drive a little and stop when we got hungry and/or needed gas.

The trip from Charlotte to Sunset Beach is two roads: A tiny, windy, country back road and interstate 74 which goes directly into the beach. We gave up hope finding a McDonald's on the first road and the closest thing to food was a farmer's market that didn't open until 10. So we kept driving. We came to the intersection of the first and second roads and our hope lifted when we started noticing signs of a little city. So we bypassed the Bojangles and the Arby's then the Hardees because SOMEONE wanted a McGriddle. We came upon a McDonald's towards the edge of town and celebrated this tiny victory.

Wrong.

There was some form of construction going on in the parking lot and the McDonald's was closed. At this point it's about 9:00 in the morning, we've been up for three hours and still have had nothing to eat. 74 is like any other highway with exits and those convenient blue signs that tell you the gas, food and lodging at the upcoming exit. We looked at sign after sign and still saw no sign (pardon the pun) of a McDonald's. After much convincing, we settled on a Hardee's and I made moves to take the next exit.

Nope.

The Hardee's was 5 miles off of the exit. Being that it was in the morning and cell phone service was already a little rough, we got back on the highway and decided we would just wait for the McDonald's at the beach. We made a turn to follow 74 business towards the beach and were blessed with the Golden Arches up ahead. And then another one...and another one a few miles after that. After we stopped at the first McDonald's, there were at least 5 more in a 10 mile stretch.

There are McDonald's in Paris, London and China and it took us 4 hours to find one along the southern border of North Carolina.

Road trips with Molly are nothing short of eventful. Whether it's rogue spiders in the car or our ridiculous N*Sync sing-a-longs, it's definitely better than having to make even the shortest trip alone.